Caretaker
by LongLiveJae
Summary: Link is new at his boarding school, but being a student isn't the only thing on his job description. He gets stuck with the job of watching after his unpredictable and silent roommate, a task that proves to be difficult and tiring. AU
1. Prologue: The Incident

**Author Note: I apologize to those of you who were expecting a "Just my Luck" update. I dropped it and will not be continuing it. But now, I bring you a Zelda fanfiction. It is AU, so even if you've never played Zelda, you'll still understand it. :) Please read and review! And I promise, the next chapters will be much longer.**

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda.

Prologue: The Incident

The moment before the loud shatter pieced through the calm atmosphere of the hallway, I was leaning against the wall talking to my best friend, Saria. Our conversation was silenced when the sound of the shatter resonated throughout the long corridor. Books slipping from my hands and landing with a thud on the ground, my thoughts escaped me and I broke out in a sprint toward the end of the hall. My breathing sped up and my heart pounded in my ears. Please don't be what I think it is, I silently pleaded.

Reaching my destination, I threw myself at the door, hand searching for the doorknob. With a turn of my wrist, the door involuntarily flew open from the weight of my body. The door swung in, violently crashing against the wall. The room was dark save for light creeping in through the cracks in the shades.

But that was enough to see my roommate on the floor with his knees pressed to his chest, blood slowly trickling down his hands and fingers, and shattered pieces of glasses lying on the floor, glistening faintly in the light.

~.~.~

"Link, you really do need to keep a more watchful eye on him." I was leaning against the wall in the infirmary while receiving an earful from the school counselor. My roommate was sitting on the bed, no trace of expression his face. The nurse was tending to his wounds, carefully picking out shards of glass that accidentally penetrated his skin. "Link, I understand that you don't really care and want to do this and . . ." the counselor droned on about my responsibility and the words faintly bounced back and forth in my head. I hung my head and looked at the ground, having a staring contest with the cracks between the tiles.

It's not that I don't care and don't want to watch him; I really don't mind. The problem is, it's like watching a complete stranger. To make things worse, he doesn't talk, make eye contact often, or do anything really. I think I would have an easier time caring for a homeless person on a street corner.

"Link, did you hear everything I said?" the counselor asked sternly. I looked up, snapping out of my thoughts. Nodding, I gave an accompanying grunt and confirmed in hearing. "Good. Now, I expect you to follow those three rules. Understood?"

Wait. What three rules?

"Okay, you are ready to go. And please, stop being so reckless," the nurse begged. She stepped away from the cot and proceeded to do her own business. The boy got up from the bed and I looked at him carefully. He wasn't that much shorter than me; almost the same exact height. His black t-shirt looked a size too big and devoured his small, lean frame. His dark wash jeans loosely fit around his muscular legs. His dirty blonde hair was mussed and shadowed his eyes as he stared at the floor. The counselor nudged me, alerting me to take him back to the room.

"Ahem, uhm . . ." I cleared my throat. Looking up at me, his hair fell back on his face. His visible ruby eye stared intently at me, and in it, I could see a once existent fire that had burned out. "So, ready to go . . . Sheik?"


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Author Note: Here's the first "chapter" of the story. :D Enjoy! And please, take the time to leave a review, even if you hated it. It shows me where my story stands. And for those of you who don't like Link x Sheik, that won't be the case for a while, if at all. And I have a question, do you guys prefer chapters this length that get updated more often, or longer chapters that take a bit more time?**

Disclaimer: I still don't own The Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 1: The Beginning

The wind blew hard and cold, sending unpleasant sensations against my bare skin. My ponytail swung back and forth and my bangs became messy, making it even harder to see. Even though it was still technically summer, the weather gave off the illusion it was mid- autumn.

Sheik walked beside me, silent and cold, literally. Every once in a while he would shiver and rub his arms in an attempt to warm them. Frowning, I looked on, unsure of what to do.

"Heh. It's cold out right? It sucks that to get to our rooms from the infirmary we have to walk halfway across campus. Haha." My attempt to make small talk was futile and made the atmosphere even more awkward. Sheik's movements froze and he dropped his arms. He sped up and walked a good distance in front of me. I sighed. This was going to be a long year.

Halfway to our dorm, we passed a building with a clock in front. The hands were happily ticking half past six. I hadn't realized it was that late already. My stomach growled and I groaned in frustration. Out of all the possible moments I could get hungry, it had to be now?

Sheik was even farther in front than he was before. I ran up to him. "Hey, listen. Are you hungry? We can go grab a bite to eat." He stopped walking and said nothing.

Uhm. I'll take that as a yes.

Grabbing Sheik by the wrist, I turned in a different direction, leading him to the campus café. People stared at us as we walked past. I had to admit, it was a weird scene. The smaller boy seemed to be conscious of the looks as well. He scowled and yanked his hand free from my grasp. I sure underestimated his strength.

We reached the campus café, an open sign hanging in the window. Sheik approached the building and hesitantly looked inside. Confused, I went and opened the door for him. He continued to stare at nothing in particular, his blonde hair gently swaying. "You can . . . go . . . in," I stated. Still no further movements. I became annoyed and frustrated. My stomach was roaring in protest and I wanted to eat, but I had to be with Sheik. So what did I do? I grabbed him by his wrist again and dragged him inside.

The café was brightly lit and packed. Students hovered throughout the room, eating, conversing with their friends, and using the café's free wi-fi. I walked up to the counter, forgetting Sheik was in tow.

"Hey Link!" A voice chirped in my ear. I turn to see my best friend Saria. Her green hair was in twin braids and she wore a brown sleeveless turtleneck, green shorts, and brown sandals. I smirked.

"What? Are girls more interested in looking good than staying warm?" I retorted. She flicked my forehead with her finger.

"Don't be jealous I'm adorable and you're not. And besides, it's like, still summer."

"As if I really care about that, and besides, it's like, 65 degrees outside," I said in a mocking tone. That earned me a punch from Saria and I laughed. "You need to work on your muscles if you expect that to hurt me."

"Shut uppppppppp, Link," she whined, "We can't all be macho and strong like you." I chuckled and smiled my signature half – smirk. "Oh. By the way, why have you been holding onto Sheik for the past ten minutes who, for the record, looks like he wants to shoot himself right now?" I felt Sheik tense up at Saria's last comment. I shot her a look that said 'Don't give him any ideas.' After I let go of his arm, he immediately pulled it back and stuffed his hands in his pockets. My stomach growled, reminded me why were there in the first place.

"Well Sar, Sheik and I are going to grab a bit to eat. I'll meet up with you la-?"

"Oh in that case, I'll eat with you guys too!" She exclaimed. I blinked at her and nodded my head.

"Sounds good," I approved. Saria and I made our way down the counter, reaching for the food we wanted to eat. Sheik stalked behind quietly, not grabbing any food. "Sheik, don't you want to eat?" He didn't answer and just kept staring straight ahead. Maybe he's just broke, I figured. He could have half of mine.

We reached the register and Saria paid for her lemonade and salad and I paid for my hefty cheeseburger and Sprite. The three of us occupied a table by the window. I sat opposite from Sheik and Saria pulled up a chair to the side of the table, sitting between us. Sheik propped his head up on his arm and he stared out the glass. It had started to drizzle and cold, small raindrops landed on the window. He eyed the water carefully, looking at the race between the droplets of which would reach the bottom first.

I picked up my burger and took a giant bite. My stomach responded in satisfaction and I continued eating. In about a minute, it was practically gone. I washed it down with a giant swig of my Sprite which was promptly followed by a burp.

"Pig," Saria rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Did you forget about that one time back in the seventh grade when –" Saria fumed and chucked her used napkin at me.

"Never. Bring. That. Up." She glared at me with deadly eyes.

I paused. "It was a dark and stormy night," I teased. Saria pouted, and unless I was seeing things, I thought I saw a smile tugging at the corner of Sheik's mouth. See, he's not so cold. He has a sense of humor. Saria seemed to sense I was thinking about Sheik. She leaned over, chewing on a bite of her salad.

When she swallowed, she asked, "So what was that incident all about today? The whole school is talking about it." So that would explain the strange looks we received outside.

"It was nothing major really. I don't know all the details of what happened, but I do know it involved him and some broken glass," I whispered. I knew it was rude of me to be talking about Sheik when he was sitting right in front of me, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Well, if I was his roommate, I'd be scared. Who knows what's going to go through that head of his next. Maybe you'll be the one getting hurt next time around," Saria concluded, rather loudly, with a smug look on her face. People around us stopped talking and stared at our table. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sheik's fists clench.

What happened next all occurred in a matter of seconds and no one saw it coming. Sheik violently got out of his seat and snatched the lemonade on the table and ripped the lid off. In one swift motion, he brought the foam cup over Saria's head and poured the contents out, sending the pale yellow drink and ice running down her hair and face. She screamed and he dropped the empty cup and walked out of the café.

People around us laughed and stared at the scene with open mouths. I looked at Saria, completely humiliated. It was too damn awkward watching a person I'm supposed to be responsible for pour lemonade on my best friend. Plus, it didn't help that he's a guy and she's a girl.

Fuming, Saria got up from the table and snatched her purse. "Link, sleep with an umbrella over your head. You're going to need it."


	3. Chapter 2: Room 312

**Author Note: I present to you Chapter 2. :D Enjoy! A giant thank you to The White Order, Story Luver, Spiritual Stone, and Li for reviewing and those of you who favorited. Thanks guys!**

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 2: Room 312

Saria ran of to the bathroom to dry off. Whispers and snickers traveled throughout the room. Completely dumbfounded, I continued sitting at the table. I would see students sneaking glances at me and the directions Saria and Sheik stormed out, trying to put together a story to tell their friends later. I didn't get what the big deal was. All that happened was a guy poured lemonade on a girl who was making rude remarks about him.

Actually, when you think about it that way . . .

I figured I would wait for Saria to come out so I could see how she was. A girl with long blonde hair wearing a pink sundress came up to my table. I had no idea who she was, but man, she was one beautiful girl. I opened my mouth to say hi to no avail.

"What are you doing sitting around here for?" She asked me with an annoyed expression.

"Uhm. Excuse me?" I stammered. Don't people usually say hello when they greet someone or did girls invent a new method of flirting?

"I said," she sighed angrily, "Why are you sitting here? Aren't you supposed to be checking up on somebody?"

I stared at her. "What? Yeah. I'm waiting for Saria to come out to see how she is," I explained slowly.

"I'm not talking about Saria!" she shouted, "She'll be fine! The one you should be worried about is Sheik!" and with that she stomped off.

Who was that girl, I wondered incredulously. Then her words sunk in. Sheik.

"OH SHIT." I jumped out of my seat and accidentally knocked over a chair without bothering to pick it up and burst out of the café. It was raining even harder now and in about half a minute I was soaked to the core. Sheik wasn't outside so he was probably in the room by now. Puddles splashed as I ran at full speed to the dorm.

I reached the dorm and ran through the door, obnoxiously pushing a person exiting out of the way. Eh, I'd apologize later. I bolted up the stairs to the second floor and navigated my way to my hallway. Déjà vu came over me as this was a near repeat of this morning.

When I arrived at my room, I threw the door open. I didn't know what I expected to find, but that didn't stop me from putting on a face of stupid shock.

Sheik was lying on his bed, sprawled on his stomach with a notebook spread out in front of him. He was writing furiously, but froze when I came in. His eyes widened and he flung his pencil to the other side of the room and slammed his notebook shut. He got up and proceeded to shove it under his pillow. He buried his face in it and turned away from me. I could see the tips of his ears peaking through his blonde hair turn red.

I stared in confusion. Twice today there was an incident involving him and now here he is, turning beet red because I walked in on him writing in his journal, I thought.

Is this the same Sheik from before?

I decided not to question it and walked on past him to me bed. There was glass on the floor, but no fresh cuts or blood suggested it was from before. Stooping down to pick it up, I found the source of the glass: it was from the mirror hanging in the room. The middle of the lengthy mirror was void of glass and the edges around it were sharp and ragged. By the blood and pieces of glass that were stuck in Sheik's fingers before, I could assume that he punched it out.

Punching a mirror, pouring lemonade on a girl, and then writing in a journal; man, this dude was weird.

I shrugged it off and walked to my bed, brushing past Sheik's. I stripped my wet shirt off and threw it on the floor. Before grabbing a towel off the dresser, I pulled the hair band holding my ponytail together out of my hair. My hair was about shoulder length, but I hated wearing it down. I didn't want to cut it either. I dried off my soaking wet hair, shaking my head like a shaggy dog that came back inside from the rain. I changed into a dry pair of black sweats and plopped down onto my bed.

This was my second day at the Academy of Hyrule, the finest school around. Unfortunately, to my chagrin, I already screwed up. How did I end up playing caretaker . . .?

_Pulling up to the school, I stared at the campus. It was huge! I was in the eleventh grade and for some reason, I was qualified to attend this school. From what I've heard from Saria, this school is for crazy smart and talented students. I'm not an idiot, but I wouldn't consider myself of that caliber._

_I found an empty spot in the student parking lot and cruised in. Getting out, I opened the trunk and pulled out my suitcase. The Academy of Hyrule was a boarding school and no matter how close you lived to it, you had to stay here. Approaching the main building, I followed the signs that directed new students to the information center. Upon arriving, I dictated my name to the assistant sitting behind the counter. _

"_Well here is your room assignment and everything else you need to know Mister –"_

"_Link. Just call me Link. I'm not big on the whole formalities thing," I interrupted sheepishly. I hated my last name and when people called me by it._

"_Regardless, here is your packet. Now please get out of the way so I can assist the next person." She peaked over her thin wire-framed glasses at me. I grabbed the stack of papers she handed me. On top was a map of the campus and my room assignment. _

_Room 312._

_I backtracked to my car and got in. There was a parking lot closer to my dorm so I decided to re-park. The roads were infested with students; upperclassman easily maneuvered their way around the school while freshmen frantically tried to figure out where to go. Following the map, I located my dorm and parked to the side of the building. I trudged in and the busy atmosphere of arriving and departing students and adults overwhelmed me. _

_With the direction from a passerby, I finally found the hallway with my room. The hall was filled with faint shouting drifting in from a nearby room. As I approached my door, the arguing got louder and louder. At that point, the words were easy to make out._

"_I assure you, your son will be fine."_

"_Yeah, sure! That's what the last three schools said before Sheik got expelled."_

_Ouch. Trouble maker in the school._

"_My son can't face the same problems he did in his other schools! Unless . . . of course . . . you would prefer an _accident_ to occur."_

_Hmm, I wonder what exactly happened._

"_Don't worry. We have, uh, officially appointed someone as your son's caretaker . . ."_

_I found that the door to my room was already open and I silently stepped inside._

"_And, uh, here he is!" I dropped my bag and looked up to see three pairs of eyes staring at me and a man in a black suit, his finger aimed in my direction._


End file.
